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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — a path
  7. net — in sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — after costs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — a tin
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com